Road Tested: RunSafe App

Okay, not to be too macabre (this is tough for me, trust), and I don’t want to freak you out, but do you guys like horror movies? Because I don’t. At all. I have nightmares about ending up in a pit and being told to rub the lotion in or get the hose again. When left to my imagination, I conjure up all sorts of horrifying scenarios about what could happen to me as I go about my daily business. Exactly none of them have a happy ending. Why watch a horror movie when your brain makes you worry that you’ll be staring in one any moment? (HAPPY MONDAY, by the way. I promise this post is about to get a lot more cheerful.)

This is my brain on my imagination.

All that being said, my fear of possible doom hasn’t kept me from running alone outdoors, but it has kept me from fully enjoying those runs. Can you relate?

I thought so.

Maybe you can relate to this, too. Sometimes you feel vulnerable when you run, especially if you’re running with your child. Or you find that you’re often running alone, or in the dark, or in secluded areas around careless morotists. Maybe you’ve been injured and you needed to alert a loved one and get help quickly. Perhaps you’ve noticed something suspicious, or there’s wildlife on the trail, and you’d like to alert others. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were an app for that?

Well guess what?!

Enter Runsafe! I’m seriously SO EXCITED to tell you guys about this app because it has set me free of my obsessive fears. Not only does RunSafe track my runs with the same great features many popular fitness apps use, but it also has unique safety features that I love. Features like a panic button. Yes, a panic button, which alerts your numero uno contact when you press it to get help stat!

RunSafe tracks several activities with GPS, and calculates distance, altitude, time, speed/pace, and calories. It displays real time stats, creates splits and intensity graphs, and maps your routes. You can rate, annotate, and share your workouts on social media. It does all the things you want and expect a fitness app to do.

Those features are fantastic, but that’s not even the best part. I really love this app because it gives me a sense of security when I’m working on my fitness goals. I can focus a little more on my breathing or my pace, and spend a little less effort looking over my shoulder. The little extra peace of mind this app gives me and my family is priceless.

With the free version, the Runsafe app does all of the above and sends text and email alerts to your contacts, creates an Alert Profile for you which displays vital info like a photo of you, your height, weight, age, gender, and, if/when you hit the panic button, your last known location. When you hit the panic button, it’s game on! The app sends an alert to all of your contacts, initiates a loud siren and strobe light to attract attention, activates the microphone to record several minutes of sound that your contacts can access, and activates your Alert Profile so that contacts can mobilize a response.

The premium features let you notify a designated contact if you’re not back when you should be. Your contacts can also see your workout in real time, and you can set automatic alerts.

NO JOKE. I really love this. It’s like an Amber alert for active people!

Many of the features of the app are free for users, which really punches home the message that the RunSafe folks are all about the safety and not so much about the profit. They were nice enough to set up an account for us to try their premium service for three months free. After that, you can continue with the premium features for $4.99 a month, or drop back to the free features (which are pretty amazing by themselves). Click the logo to check out the giveaway and run safer, everyone! #safetyissexy

Click here to sign up!

Have you wished for this type of app to exist? Have you ever felt in danger on a run? Do you own pepper spray, mace or are you in possession of kick-ass martial arts skillz? LET’S GET REAL, YO.

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8 thoughts on “Road Tested: RunSafe App”

I’ve been using a similar app from Road ID. The Road ID app will alert a contact that you’re headed out and let them track you during your workout, all for free. You don’t have to press a panic button to send a distress alert. It will do it automatically if you hold still for 5 minutes. The app doesn’t log your workout like other fitness tracking apps, though.

I didn’t know that Road ID had a similar app. That’s good to know! I’m curious about their distress alert, though. If I’m being attacked, the possibility that I’ll hold still for 5 minutes means something has already gone really wrong. That’s an interesting approach. I’m UBER paranoid, though, as my post plainly shows! 😉

I was a little confused about the RunSafe description – does the e-mail / text alert allow the contact to track you live? The RoadID sends an ‘ecrumb’ so I let my husband track me on long runs or during races. It does not calculate distance, etc. RoadID does have a lock screen feature that includes emergency contacts and emergency details like “No known drug allergies. Allergic to bee and wasp stings.” I think the RoadID stationary alert would be less appropriate for ‘being attacked’ and more applicable to ‘broke ankle.’

I feel the same way. I have find my friends on my iPhone so my husband and anyone who is set up to see it can track me but I like the additional features on this app. I’ll have to remember this when I get back out on the road (esp w Baby S!).
Karen @karenlovestorun

Yes, especially when you’re running with your sweet little new arrival! That’s how/why the creator came to invent this app. She was running with her baby and slipped on some ice and fell. She needed help and BOOM RunSafe was born. It’s a no-brainer!

I have been after my sister to use an app like this. She travels for work and often runs in unfamiliar cities. I would love to know when she goes for a run and when she returns. This is also great for when you are not running but will just be traveling alone! -M

This would be PERFECT for your sister. And you raise an excellent point, you don’t have to use the app only when working out, you could use it anytime and anywhere to keep loved ones informed. I wish I had had it when I was in Paris, I didn’t go for a run because I wasn’t confident enough. This app would have been perfect! 🙂